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Why Children Shouldn’t Be Diagnosed With a Learning Problem Without a Binocular Vision Assessment

November 12, 2018

It seems that over the past several decades, more and more children have been placed in remedial reading groups or labeled as having learning problems. Unfortunately, as many of these same children never received a proper visual assessment, it’s impossible to say how many actually have learning or reading disabilities, and how many simply have an issue with their eyes.

Why a Standard Eye Exam Isn’t Enough

While a standard eye exam by an optometrist is very important for measuring visual acuity and determining the health of the eyes, it’s not the same as a full binocular vision assessment, which is equally important. The human binocular visual system is a complex and exquisite system, and how it evolved is awe-inspiring. Our visual system has several crucial tasks to perform to help keep our bodies moving smoothly: it helps orient us in space, provides motion cues, helps us maintain our balance and provides us with information to learn, all at the same time!

The eyes play an essential role in this. Our eyes do not work in isolation. They must be able to work together to focus on the same spot, maintaining that focus until a single, clear image emerges. The images that the eyes see are then transported to the brain, where all the information that our eyes take in is processed. If there is an issue processing this visual input, the learning process will inevitably be interrupted, even in a child that has perfect 20/20 vision.

The Effects of BVD on Learning

In today’s highly visual world, we often ask children to stay focused for long periods of time, processing a lot of complex information while also dealing with a multitude of distractions around them. While some children who struggle to take in this information do have legitimate learning problems, for others, their difficulties are the result of binocular vision dysfunction (BVD). This means that their eyes are out of alignment, making it extremely difficult for them to keep their eyes focused enough to create a single, crisp image. While the brain automatically corrects this misalignment, the eyes end up being overworked, and the result is sore, tired eye muscles that can cause headaches, double vision symptoms, irritability and fatigue in children with BVD.

When a child has to work so hard just to process the visual information their eyes are taking in, you can see how this would interfere with learning. While some children may slowly struggle through reading and other activities that require intense eye concentration, others just give up. Some children may become withdrawn socially, while others might seem overly irritable or even start acting out due to their frustration.

Make an Appointment for a Neurovisual ExaminationIt can’t be stressed enough how important a binocular vision assessment is to ensure that children can thrive in a learning environment. No child should be diagnosed with a learning problem until a complete binocular vision assessment is performed by a qualified doctor who understands binocular vision, like those at the Neuro Visual Center of New York. If your child has been diagnosed with a learning disability but has not received a binocular vision assessment, call us as soon as possible at (516) 224-4888 to get one scheduled. Correctly treating an underlying binocular vision disorder can have a profound impact on a child’s ability to live up, and learn up, to their true potential.

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I was never happy with my vision. I always felt things didn’t look quite right. Everyday, I would suffer from eyestrain and tension at my temples. I went to many eye doctors and they all said my eyes were fine. At a routine eye appointment with Dr. Cheryl, I complained about these feelings of strain and eye pain. She asked tons of questions and did the most detailed eye exam that I ever had. She not only tested my vision in each eye but she tested how my two eyes worked together. My problems wer…

S. H.

My family would always tease me about how clumsy I was. I couldn’t even walk in a straight line. This got worse as I got older until I tripped and fell in the subway. I became so nervous to go out because I couldn’t walk straight or judge how to step off a curb. I consulted many doctors who diagnosed me with anxiety disorder. I really didn’t think I had anxiety disorder at all. I was anxious because I was afraid I was going to fall due to my poor depth perception. I learned about Dr. Debby Feinb…

N. S.

Unfortunately, I have been suffering from migraines since I was 7 years old. I spent countless hours in doctors’ offices trying to resolve this issue but was left unrewarded. I started wearing glasses when I was in elementary school but they did not relieve my headaches. Being an active child, I found that these headaches hindered my ability to participate in certain activities. As the years went on the headaches became more frequent and debilitating, leaving me with symptoms of nausea, vomiting…

D.V.

Unfortunately, I have been suffering from migraines since I was 7 years old. I spent countless hours in doctors’ offices trying to resolve this issue but was left unrewarded. I started wearing glasses when I was in elementary school but they did not relieve my headaches. Being an active child, I found that these headaches hindered my ability to participate in certain activities. As the years went on the headaches became more frequent and debilitating, leaving me with symptoms of nausea, vomiting…

I never really had headaches before this year, but my balance felt off, I felt crooked. We went to a lot of doctors until my pediatrician said to go to the eye doctor. I suffered academically and socially because the headaches started to get worse and they were constant. They rarely let up. The morning was the worst, I was nauseous every morning. This went on for three months until I came to Dr. Israeloff. We never thought it was my eyes because my eyesight was always fine!
What a wonderful s…

M. L.

For years I have suffered from migraines and more recently severe neck pain. Dr. Cheryl took one look at me and knew what was wrong. She explained that my neck pain was due to tilting my head to compensate fro my vision deficits. Tilting my head was a way to stabilize my vision but it was taxing my body. She asked me a variety of questions, which ranged from when I experience pain to how I feel in crowds. I would have never known that all of my anxieties in crowded places and my inability to wal…

D.V.

Who, indeed, could have supposed that a mere ocular defect could have given rise to so serious a train of evils….And who that had not seen it, could believe that the correction by glasses of the eye trouble could have given a relief so speedy and so perfect that the patient described it as a miracle?

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How We Help Patients Overcome Dizziness While Driving

Prior to being treated by Dr. Cheryl, I constantly felt off balance. I had suffered from frequent migraines since I was 12 years old. I often suffered from neck/ back pain, and always felt like I was straining my neck and/or tilting my head to focus on the computer. My family had always noticed that I walked a bit sideways as well, but they attributed that to me being “clumsy”. I had awful anxiety about walking down flights of stairs or through the mall, as I always had this irrational fear of f…